In the construction of sealed packets or form sets having confidential information within the sealed package or form set, common practice is to feed the sheets from a stack in a feed bin through an imaging device (such as a printer or facsimile machine) to an output tray, and either with or without inserting a third sheet, sealing the pressure sensitive cohesive patterns on the sheets together. Of course in order to provide sealing the pressure sensitive cohesive patterns must be aligned when sealing occurs, however when the pressure activated cohesive patterns are in engagement with each other in the feed bin blocking can occur, making the feeding of forms very difficult. This can be solved by providing sheets that do not have cohesive patterns in contact with each other in the feed bin by making the sheets non-identical, or by requiring inversion of alternate sheets in order to bring one into contact with the other, but these procedures introduce additional complications into the processing and therefore are also undesirable. The basic features of the prior art system are disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 08/749,697, filed Nov. 15, 1996 (attorney dkt. 263-1535; 96-46 US), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
According to the present invention the problems with the prior art construction which are set forth above are solved. According to the invention it is possible to allow each of the sheets in the feed bin to be identical, yet prevent contact of cohesive from one sheet to the other and thereby prevent blocking and its associated problems. Each sheet of the confidential packet or form set of the invention is the same and has arrangements of pressure activated cohesive on the front and back that are staggered from each other so that the facing cohesive patterns on adjacent form sheets are non-aligned when in a stack in a feed bin (input tray). All of the patterns that are to be aligned have a dimension "d" that is relevant to their ultimate alignment, and the sheets--after passing through the imaging device--are shifted a distance of at least "d" in a dimension typically parallel to the top and bottom edges of the sheet, and typically transverse to the direction of feed through the imaging device, so that the cooperating cohesive patterns are aligned. The form sets may then be readily passed through a conventional pressure sealer such as available from Moore U.S.A. of Lake Forest, Ill. under the trademark SPEEDISEALER.RTM. in order to get the desired product.
According to a first aspect of the present invention a specialized sheet is provided, comprising: A substantially quadrate sheet of paper having first and second faces, top and bottom edges substantially parallel to each other, and first and second side edges substantially parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to said top and bottom edges. A first series of patterns of pressure activated cohesive disposed on the first face, including adjacent the first and second side edges and having a substantially uniform dimension "d" parallel to the top and bottom edges. And, a second series of patterns of pressure activated cohesive disposed on the second face which are substantially identical to the first series of patterns, and having the centerline thereof spaced from the first series of patterns at least the substantially uniform dimension "d" parallel to the top and bottom edges.
The first and second series of patterns preferably also include patterns disposed adjacent the top and bottom edges, also having the dimension "d", and having the centerlines thereof spaced from each other at least the uniform dimension "d" parallel to the top and bottom edges. Lines of weakness may be disposed in the sheet substantially parallel to the side edges, including lines of weakness between the first and second series of patterns adjacent each side edge, and--if desired to facilitate opening of a sealed packet produced from a pair of specialized sheets--on the opposite side of the pattern furthest from each side edge from the side edge. Lines of weakness may additionally or alternatively be provided substantially parallel to the top and bottom edges and disposed on the opposite sides of the patterns adjacent the top and bottom edges from the top and bottom edges. The patterns adjacent the side edges may be substantially continuous strips of pressure activated cohesive having a width "d" and a length much greater than the width, and the patterns adjacent the top and bottom edges may be rectangular blocks of pressure activated cohesive having a length "d". Preferably the centerlines of the spaced first and second series of patterns are spaced from each other slightly more than the dimension "d".
According to another aspect of the present invention a method of constructing a business form having confidential information, utilizing first and second specialized sheets such as described above, is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) Moving the first and second specialized sheets with respect to each other parallel to the top and bottom edges at least the dimension "d" so that the pressure activated cohesive patterns on the second face of the first sheet are aligned with the pressure activated cohesive patterns on the first face of a second of the specialized sheets. (b) Providing confidential information between the first and second specialized sheets. And, (c) applying pressure to the sheets so as to seal the aligned pressure activated cohesive patterns of the first and second sheets together, to provide a sealed packet.
Step (b) may be practiced by imaging confidential information on at least one of the second face of the first specialized sheet and the first face of the second specialized sheet, or step (b) may be practiced alternatively (or additionally) by inserting a third sheet of paper having confidential information thereon between the first and second specialized sheets, the third sheet having dimensions, when inserted, allowing it to fit between the patterns of pressure activated cohesive on the second face of the first specialized sheet, and the first face of the second specialized sheet. The first and second sheets are typically initially provided in a stack in a feed bin with the first face of the first specialized sheet engaging the second face of the second specialized sheet, and step (a) is practiced automatically.
The method typically utilizes an imaging device and an output tray on the opposite side of the feed bin from the imaging device, and step (a) is practiced by the subsets of (a1) automatically feeding the second sheet through the imaging device, and then (a2) automatically feeding the first sheet through the imaging device, and (a3) shifting all or part of one of the feed bin and output tray at least the dimension "d" between the effective practice of substeps (a1) and (a2). Substep (a3) may be practiced by shifting the feed bin (e.g. utilizing a solenoid, pneumatic cylinder, or the like), or by shifting an edge guide of the output tray. Step (b) may be practiced by imaging confidential information on at least one of the second face of the first specialized sheet and the first face of the second specialized sheet when practicing one or both of substeps (a1) and (a2).
The method may also comprise the further step (d), after step (c), of tearing the first and second specialized sheets along the lines of weakness thereof between the first and second patterns that are past the sealed packet portion of the sheets.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention an assembly for forming sealed packets from first and second specialized sheets as described above is provided. The assembly comprises the following components: A feed bin containing a stack of first and second specialized sheets, with the first face of the first specialized sheet engaging the second face of the second specialized sheet. An output tray for receiving first and second specialized sheets from the feed bin. An imaging device disposed between the feed bin and the output tray in a feed direction for imaging indicia on at least one of the first and second specialized sheets. And, means for shifting all or part of one of the feed bin and output tray substantially perpendicular to the feed direction at least the dimension "d" so as to align the pressure activated cohesive patterns on the second face of the first sheet with the pressure activated cohesive patterns on the first face of the second sheet.
The shifting means may comprise any suitable conventional structure such as a solenoid, pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, a rotatable shaft having screw threads which are received by a traveling nut, a rotary actuator connected via a lever to the component shifted, etc. The shifting means may comprise an edge guide of the output tray and a means for shifting the edge guide in which case a light pressure nip wheel may be provided overlying sheets on the output tray, and rotatable about both a substantially vertical axis, and a substantially horizontal axis generally parallel to the top and bottom edges of the specialized sheets. Alternatively the shifting means may comprise means for shifting the feed bin. The imaging device typically comprises a non-impact (e.g. laser) printer or a facsimile machine.
The assembly according to the invention also typically comprises a sealer for applying sufficient pressure to the first and second sheets to seal the aligned pressure activated cohesive patterns thereof. The assembly may also comprise an inserter between the output tray and the sealer for inserting a third sheet having confidential indicia thereon between the first and second sheets, the third sheet having dimensions, when inserted, allowing it to fit between the patterns of pressure activated cohesive on the second face of the first specialized sheet, and the first face of the second specialized sheet.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the advantageous, trouble-free, construction of form sets or sealed packets from specialized sheets having pressure activated cohesive. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.